Title: Let My Love Open the Door
Author: Jennifer Campbell
Rating: PG-13 for regular Xena violence
Characters: Joxer, Xena, Gabrielle, Perdicus, Persephone
Time period: Sometime after fifth season
Summary: Hades' death causes big problems in the
Underworld.
For other disclaimers and notes, please see chapter 1.
#
After her last physical contact with Joxer, Gabrielle
threw herself into Xena's arms but it gave her no solace.
She sobbed into her friend's shoulder, and Xena softly
stroked her hair.
"Shhh," Xena soothed. "It's not over yet. You're the one
who told me we couldn't give up."
"But there's nothing left to try." Gabrielle sat up
straight and wiped her eyes. "Our only hope was for Joxer
and I to open the door, and we failed."
Xena bit her lip, deep in thought. "We're missing
something here. Something important."
"All I wanted was for us to be together again," Gabrielle
whispered, brushing her palm against the door that would
forever remain closed. Through the keyhole, all was fading
into darkness. "I wanted for us to be a family again, like
you said. We haven't had that for so long."
"Yes, a family." Xena worried at her lip for a moment
more, before a slow grin crossed her face. "That's it!"
Gabrielle felt a glimmer of hope return. "Xena, what are
you thinking?"
Eyes bright, she said, "True love happens when soulmates
come together, right? But it isn't necessarily only _two_
souls. You, me and Joxer, we're a family. Take one of us
out of the equation, and it doesn't feel right. So ..."
Gabrielle caught on, getting as excited now as Xena. "It's
not Joxer and I who can open the door but all three of us!"
"Exactly."
Gabrielle laughed delightedly, then yelled through the
keyhole, into the darkness. "Joxer, are you there?"
"Yeah," came his resigned response.
"Put your hand through one more time."
"Why? It won't do any good."
"Just trust me, Joxer. Do it."
A moment later, he did as she asked, but she could barely
see his fingers, almost like dark, narrow shadows moving
about the hole. Gabrielle raised her hand to Xena, and they
pressed their palms together. Then, as one, they slipped
their joined hands in. It was a tight fit, but with a
little wiggling, they managed to pressed back far enough to
meet Joxer halfway. Their fingers wrapped all around, with
Joxer's hand sandwiched in the middle. All three hands
joined for the first time in what seemed forever, and to
Gabrielle, it felt _right_.
As soon as they touched, the door began to flow and shift,
as though made of water, and it shimmered with a silvery
glow. Gabrielle held her breath as it became more
insubstantial, to the point that she could see straight
through the entrance. The swirling mass quickly became more
and more transparent, and she could see Joxer staring back
at them, his mouth hanging open in amazement. She was
certain no sight had ever been more welcome.
Suddenly, the door was no more, yet their hands still
grasped each other. Gabrielle wrapped her other hand around
their joined fingers, and pulled Joxer through the opening.
She wasn't sure what would happen. Joxer's true body lay
buried for months now, and all that stood before her was
his soul. Still, his hand felt solid enough.
With no hesitation, he stepped though into the land of the
living and into Gabrielle's waiting arms. As he wrapped his
own arms around her, she pressed her ear to his chest. A
heartbeat, strong and sure. They had him back, and she
sobbed for the relief of it.
Gabrielle felt Xena's arms encircle them both. They stood
like that for a while, simply enjoying the reunion. For the
first time since she had awoken in the ice cave, Gabrielle
felt as though the world was as it should be. The three of
them were together again. At last.
When they broke the embrace, all eyes returned to the
opening, looking beyond and into the Underworld. The golden
light had brightened to full strength again, spilling out
the window and pushing at the retreating darkness. Before
long, Gabrielle could see nothing but crystal-clear blue
sky.
Movement within the tower drew her attention away from the
window, and her eyes fell to two figures on the floor. They
held each other loosely and were watching the trio in
amazement and relief. Gabrielle didn't recognize the woman,
a radiant beauty despite her tear-streaked cheeks. But the
man...
"Perdicus!"
She ran through the opening, ready to jump headlong into
his arms for another long-overdue reunion, but then stopped
short. By the way he held that woman ... Gabrielle would
have to be blind not to know what it meant. After all these
years, her former husband had found love again. More tears
of happiness threatened to overwhelm her.
Perdicus helped the woman to her feet as Joxer and Xena
passed through the opening and stopped behind Gabrielle. He
looked just as handsome and confident as Gabrielle
remembered.
"Gabrielle and Xena," Perdicus said softly. "Thank you."
"It was nothing, really."
Gabrielle grinned as she realized the extreme
understatement of her words, and he grinned back. Joxer
chuckled. Gabrielle noticed that her ex-husband still held
the woman's hand.
"So," Xena said, "are you going to introduce us?"
Perdicus blushed. "Sorry. Xena, Gabrielle, I'd like you to
meet Persephone, daughter of Demeter." He looked lovingly
at the woman. "Persephone, these are my friends."
Persephone nodded. "Nice to meet you, and thank you.
Through your bravery and quick thinking, you've saved the
Underworld."
"No problem," Xena quipped with a dismissive air Gabrielle
had grown used to over the years. She passed them all,
going to the window. "Still looks like a mess out there,
though. Lots of rubble, and a bunch of people milling
around."
Persephone quirked a small smile. "Just because the door
is gone doesn't mean all the damage is undone. There is
much work to be done, to restore all that was."
"I'll help you," Perdicus offered, and Persephone rewarded
him with a light kiss on the cheek.
"I know you will," she said.
"So, um," Joxer said, shuffling his feet, "what happens to
me now? I mean, do I stay here, or can I go back with Xena
and Gabby?"
Persephone answered, "As the riddle says, 'body and soul
reunite.' You are mortal again, Joxer, and very much alive.
Your place is in the world above with Xena and Gabrielle,
and I wish you much joy there."
"Great," he said, pridefully pulling himself to his full
height, "because I have a lot of work to do up there.
Warlords to stop and towns to save, and I know there's a
lot to be done down here, too, with all the mess out there,
but I know you can handle it. It might take centuries, but-
-"
Gabrielle silenced him with one finger on his lips.
"Joxer, I think you should stop with 'thank you.'"
"Um, sure. Right. What she said."
With that, they said their good-byes, Gabrielle finally
giving Perdicus a friendly hug and wishing him the best
with the goddess. She supposed now that Hades was dead,
Persephone would assume his responsibilities, which meant
both she had Perdicus had much work ahead of them.
Gabrielle wished them luck, echoed by Xena and Joxer.
Then the three left the Underworld. The sun had set, so
they set up camp at the cave mouth, finding just enough dry
brush for a small fire. At this elevation, the stars looked
so much closer and more brilliant, and Gabrielle gazed at
them in a peaceful sort of contentment. Too bad such beauty
came at a cost, for the cold felt that much more bitter in
the mountains. Gabrielle shivered, but Joxer held her
against him, and his body heat warmed her.
"Thanks again, you guys," he said quietly, the regular
bluster gone from his voice, and it seemed to Gabrielle
that perhaps his ordeal in the Underworld had matured him a
bit. "I had given up, but you saved the day. You really did
it."
"No, we did it," Gabrielle corrected him.
"Yeah," Xena added. "We couldn't have done it without you,
Joxer."
He gave them both his trademark grin. Right then,
Gabrielle felt an absolute sense of peace, greater than
anything she had tried to achieve under Eli's teachings.
Back then, inner peace had been about achieving a state of
nothingness, but this feeling was more filling and
satisfying than any she could remember. She knew that after
all the adventures, all the suffering and heartbreak, they
had finally found their happy ending.
"You know, you're right!" Joxer said. "You're so lucky I'm
around."
The end
#
Author: Jennifer Campbell
Rating: PG-13 for regular Xena violence
Characters: Joxer, Xena, Gabrielle, Perdicus, Persephone
Time period: Sometime after fifth season
Summary: Hades' death causes big problems in the
Underworld.
For other disclaimers and notes, please see chapter 1.
#
After her last physical contact with Joxer, Gabrielle
threw herself into Xena's arms but it gave her no solace.
She sobbed into her friend's shoulder, and Xena softly
stroked her hair.
"Shhh," Xena soothed. "It's not over yet. You're the one
who told me we couldn't give up."
"But there's nothing left to try." Gabrielle sat up
straight and wiped her eyes. "Our only hope was for Joxer
and I to open the door, and we failed."
Xena bit her lip, deep in thought. "We're missing
something here. Something important."
"All I wanted was for us to be together again," Gabrielle
whispered, brushing her palm against the door that would
forever remain closed. Through the keyhole, all was fading
into darkness. "I wanted for us to be a family again, like
you said. We haven't had that for so long."
"Yes, a family." Xena worried at her lip for a moment
more, before a slow grin crossed her face. "That's it!"
Gabrielle felt a glimmer of hope return. "Xena, what are
you thinking?"
Eyes bright, she said, "True love happens when soulmates
come together, right? But it isn't necessarily only _two_
souls. You, me and Joxer, we're a family. Take one of us
out of the equation, and it doesn't feel right. So ..."
Gabrielle caught on, getting as excited now as Xena. "It's
not Joxer and I who can open the door but all three of us!"
"Exactly."
Gabrielle laughed delightedly, then yelled through the
keyhole, into the darkness. "Joxer, are you there?"
"Yeah," came his resigned response.
"Put your hand through one more time."
"Why? It won't do any good."
"Just trust me, Joxer. Do it."
A moment later, he did as she asked, but she could barely
see his fingers, almost like dark, narrow shadows moving
about the hole. Gabrielle raised her hand to Xena, and they
pressed their palms together. Then, as one, they slipped
their joined hands in. It was a tight fit, but with a
little wiggling, they managed to pressed back far enough to
meet Joxer halfway. Their fingers wrapped all around, with
Joxer's hand sandwiched in the middle. All three hands
joined for the first time in what seemed forever, and to
Gabrielle, it felt _right_.
As soon as they touched, the door began to flow and shift,
as though made of water, and it shimmered with a silvery
glow. Gabrielle held her breath as it became more
insubstantial, to the point that she could see straight
through the entrance. The swirling mass quickly became more
and more transparent, and she could see Joxer staring back
at them, his mouth hanging open in amazement. She was
certain no sight had ever been more welcome.
Suddenly, the door was no more, yet their hands still
grasped each other. Gabrielle wrapped her other hand around
their joined fingers, and pulled Joxer through the opening.
She wasn't sure what would happen. Joxer's true body lay
buried for months now, and all that stood before her was
his soul. Still, his hand felt solid enough.
With no hesitation, he stepped though into the land of the
living and into Gabrielle's waiting arms. As he wrapped his
own arms around her, she pressed her ear to his chest. A
heartbeat, strong and sure. They had him back, and she
sobbed for the relief of it.
Gabrielle felt Xena's arms encircle them both. They stood
like that for a while, simply enjoying the reunion. For the
first time since she had awoken in the ice cave, Gabrielle
felt as though the world was as it should be. The three of
them were together again. At last.
When they broke the embrace, all eyes returned to the
opening, looking beyond and into the Underworld. The golden
light had brightened to full strength again, spilling out
the window and pushing at the retreating darkness. Before
long, Gabrielle could see nothing but crystal-clear blue
sky.
Movement within the tower drew her attention away from the
window, and her eyes fell to two figures on the floor. They
held each other loosely and were watching the trio in
amazement and relief. Gabrielle didn't recognize the woman,
a radiant beauty despite her tear-streaked cheeks. But the
man...
"Perdicus!"
She ran through the opening, ready to jump headlong into
his arms for another long-overdue reunion, but then stopped
short. By the way he held that woman ... Gabrielle would
have to be blind not to know what it meant. After all these
years, her former husband had found love again. More tears
of happiness threatened to overwhelm her.
Perdicus helped the woman to her feet as Joxer and Xena
passed through the opening and stopped behind Gabrielle. He
looked just as handsome and confident as Gabrielle
remembered.
"Gabrielle and Xena," Perdicus said softly. "Thank you."
"It was nothing, really."
Gabrielle grinned as she realized the extreme
understatement of her words, and he grinned back. Joxer
chuckled. Gabrielle noticed that her ex-husband still held
the woman's hand.
"So," Xena said, "are you going to introduce us?"
Perdicus blushed. "Sorry. Xena, Gabrielle, I'd like you to
meet Persephone, daughter of Demeter." He looked lovingly
at the woman. "Persephone, these are my friends."
Persephone nodded. "Nice to meet you, and thank you.
Through your bravery and quick thinking, you've saved the
Underworld."
"No problem," Xena quipped with a dismissive air Gabrielle
had grown used to over the years. She passed them all,
going to the window. "Still looks like a mess out there,
though. Lots of rubble, and a bunch of people milling
around."
Persephone quirked a small smile. "Just because the door
is gone doesn't mean all the damage is undone. There is
much work to be done, to restore all that was."
"I'll help you," Perdicus offered, and Persephone rewarded
him with a light kiss on the cheek.
"I know you will," she said.
"So, um," Joxer said, shuffling his feet, "what happens to
me now? I mean, do I stay here, or can I go back with Xena
and Gabby?"
Persephone answered, "As the riddle says, 'body and soul
reunite.' You are mortal again, Joxer, and very much alive.
Your place is in the world above with Xena and Gabrielle,
and I wish you much joy there."
"Great," he said, pridefully pulling himself to his full
height, "because I have a lot of work to do up there.
Warlords to stop and towns to save, and I know there's a
lot to be done down here, too, with all the mess out there,
but I know you can handle it. It might take centuries, but-
-"
Gabrielle silenced him with one finger on his lips.
"Joxer, I think you should stop with 'thank you.'"
"Um, sure. Right. What she said."
With that, they said their good-byes, Gabrielle finally
giving Perdicus a friendly hug and wishing him the best
with the goddess. She supposed now that Hades was dead,
Persephone would assume his responsibilities, which meant
both she had Perdicus had much work ahead of them.
Gabrielle wished them luck, echoed by Xena and Joxer.
Then the three left the Underworld. The sun had set, so
they set up camp at the cave mouth, finding just enough dry
brush for a small fire. At this elevation, the stars looked
so much closer and more brilliant, and Gabrielle gazed at
them in a peaceful sort of contentment. Too bad such beauty
came at a cost, for the cold felt that much more bitter in
the mountains. Gabrielle shivered, but Joxer held her
against him, and his body heat warmed her.
"Thanks again, you guys," he said quietly, the regular
bluster gone from his voice, and it seemed to Gabrielle
that perhaps his ordeal in the Underworld had matured him a
bit. "I had given up, but you saved the day. You really did
it."
"No, we did it," Gabrielle corrected him.
"Yeah," Xena added. "We couldn't have done it without you,
Joxer."
He gave them both his trademark grin. Right then,
Gabrielle felt an absolute sense of peace, greater than
anything she had tried to achieve under Eli's teachings.
Back then, inner peace had been about achieving a state of
nothingness, but this feeling was more filling and
satisfying than any she could remember. She knew that after
all the adventures, all the suffering and heartbreak, they
had finally found their happy ending.
"You know, you're right!" Joxer said. "You're so lucky I'm
around."
The end
#